Mandarin Deli(cious)

The word “delicatessen” is of German descent that means “fine food”. A deli usually connotes a store that sells fine food. Whenever Person A and I want a quiet place to enjoy a light meal and have gourmet coffee, we head to one of the hotel coffee shops in Makati. (Of course we understand that this comes at a price so we don’t do it often.) Almost, always we head to Mandarin Deli, Mandarin Oriental’s bread/dessert/coffee shop. 

Last week, Person A was at Paseo Uno so I and one of our good friends, Dennis, decided to follow him and have dinner at Mandarin Deli. I just came from a 5-km run/walk/jog so I had an appetite to boot.

The place looks like your typical neighborhood deli, it’s small, it’s warm and has a friendly staff.  You can order freshly-baked breads, salads, soups, sandwiches, main courses, cakes and chocolates.

Salmon Bagel (PhP 610).

Smoked salmon, cucumber, herb crème cheese, sour crème and potato chips. 

Look, I consumed a whole sandwich!(I usually eat half of a sandwich and consume the other half on my next meal, I am on a diet). Everything in this sandwich tastes so fresh. The vegetable is crunchy, salmon serving is generous and the crème cheese compliments the seafood. Even the potato chips are perfect.

I’ll try this with a multigrain bagel next time.

Create your own sandwich (PhP 594 and with 20% discount past 8pm?)

This is Dennis’s sandwich.

There are at least 10 choices of fillings from tuna to liver, pork, duck, egg, salmon, vegetables, etc. For the bread, there’s white, brown, wheat, multigrain and even pan de sal. You can also choose your spread and vegetables.

Each sandwich comes with potato salad on the side.

Iced Cappucino and Hot Latte (~PhP 250/cup)

These are definitely one of the better ones. 

Mine is iced cappuccino paired with the salmon bagel while Person A had the latte. 

The cups are on the bitter side but not too bitter. The sweetener is syrup and the biscotti is easy to bite and chew.

Dennis ordered mango sans rival for dessert. It’s excellent.

Truffles (~PhP 90/pc)

Mandarin makes good dessert and chocolates. You can rarely go wrong with their truffles and it’s as good as those from established international chocolatier.

The round one has Jasmine-flavored filling hence it’s aptly named Jasmine. It’s my favorite because the Jasmine tempers the bitter chocolate taste. The rod-shaped one is called Lotus. It has chocolate ganache.

I love the fact that the truffles are served on doily. And those are gold dusts. 

In Summary:

1. Similar to the hotel’s other restaurants, Mandarin Deli serves great food may it be sandwiches, desserts, breads, chocolates or coffee.

2. The place has more informal feel compared with Paseo Uno or Tin Hau but it’s still warm and inviting. You can grab a sandwich for yourself while reading a book, have coffee with your friends or date and even take your parents for a slice of dessert. The place may not be able to accommodate a large group of 10 or more since the area is small.

3. The meal comes at a price but with the good food and excellent service, it’s worth it.

Mandarin Deli

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Makati Ave, Makati
63.2.857.4782

Breaking the Fast: Truffles vs Chocolates

As shared here and here, I abstained from chocolates for 40 days. On Easter Sunday, I broke the fast with these:

Tim Tam - ang pambansang chocnut ng Australia. 



I got dizzy after my second piece due to its strong chocolatey taste. I consider it a case of system shock.


Ang arte.

And chocolate truffles from the Margaret River Chocolate Factory.



Despite of its relatively poor packaging, the truffles are actually good. It has a delicate and subtle taste.

What's the difference between chocolates and truffles?

Chocolates are plain solid blocks made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk and other good stuff. Truffles on the other are chocolate with ganache fillings or any cream/chocolate/nut/fruit/liqeur filling. It resembles the truffle fungus, hence the name. The French invented it but I believe Belgians do it best.

I prefer truffles over chocolates because of its texture and the taste isn't overpowering. My favorite is Godiva Truffes.



It is Belgian and easy to obtain while in transit in most airports.

Locally, Mandarin Deli has a good truffle and chocolate selection while Patchi puts a lot of effort in their lovely, hand-crafted wrapping. You can also visit Chocolate Fire in Legazpi Village.